One of the best parts of being Mayor is welcoming our newest Australian citizens.
Back when April went to 3 Bees Early Learning Centre on Ferntree Gully Road, the centre approached me about the need for a pedestrian crossing so they could safely take children on short excursions to Brickmakers Park.
Two brilliant productions in one day at @musttheatre, (Monash Uni Student Theatre), one with April and one with Donna.
It was a pleasure to join the Australian-Filipino Community Services team to celebrate their 35th anniversary.
Itâs AFL Grand Final day. For millions of Australians, including me, itâs one of the great days of the year.
A handy reminder if youâre out and about today.
A different kind of speaking engagement in Canberra this week.
FLASHBACK 1968 đ
For years, residents raised concerns about speeding vehicles along Neerim Road in Hughesdale.
đ¨ Celebrating local creativity in Monash
Bunnings Notting Hill this morning. đ
đ° How should Council spend your money?
School holidays.
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Recognising a local legend
Potholes, planning, traffic issues and why Council would happily fix VicRoads-managed roads and mow their median strips if they gave us permission and funded it.
A great night celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Norman A. Smith Memorial Scholarship, run by the Waverley RSL Sub-Branch.
Under the sea with our very own Flounder! đ
âNo one uses the bike path.â đ˛
I shouldnât have favourites, but I do.
đ No endless menus. Just a real person ready to help.
Citizenship ceremonies are always special. For the people making the pledge, it marks the end of one journey and the beginning of another.
On Monday night we welcomed people from across the world who have chosen to make Australia their home and become part of our Monash community.
Every person has a different story about what brought them here, but from today they all share something new in common. They are Australian citizens.
Congratulations to everyone who took the pledge. It was a privilege to be part of such an important moment for you and your families.
Welcome, and congratulations. đŚđş
At the time, there was no safe crossing point between Atkinson Street and Huntingdale Road. I raised it with @steve_dimopoulos and he agreed that something needed to be done.
Itâs taken a while, with COVID interrupting progress along the way, but itâs terrific to finally see the new crossing delivered.
It will make a real difference for families with young children, people with prams and people with accessibility needs. Importantly, it also provides safer access to the bus stops on either side of Ferntree Gully Road.
When I was first elected to Council, I remember hearing about an elderly woman who didnât feel safe crossing eight lanes of traffic on North Road to get to the bus stop for Huntingdale Station.
Instead, she would catch a bus in the opposite direction to Monash University, then another bus back towards Huntingdale, simply so she didnât have to cross the road.
Stories like that are a good reminder that something as simple as a safe pedestrian crossing can make a huge difference to how people get around their local community.
âPrickly Loveâ and âThe World Approachesâ were both fantastic. I studied theatre at Monash, and coming back always reminds me how much talent we have right here on our doorstep.
My daughter April, pictured here with me, came home raving about âThe World Approachesâ. Funnily enough, thereâs a character named April in âPrickly Loveâ! I was hoping to take her along later in the week, but itâs sold out. Great to see local theatre that popular đ
If you enjoy live theatre, sign up for the MUST mailing list and get along to the next production. Well worth it.
Congratulations to everyone involved in both shows. A great way to spend a Sunday!
For 35 years, AFCS has been supporting Filipino Australians through aged care, dementia support, community programs, advocacy and cultural events, while also helping strengthen the broader community.
What started as a small volunteer-led organisation has grown into an important statewide service, but the spirit behind it remains the same: people giving their time, energy and care to support others.
It was also great to celebrate the milestone alongside Greater Dandenong Mayor Cr Sophie Tan, Cardinia Shire Mayor Cr Brett Owen, Casey Mayor Cr Michelle Crowther and State MP Lee Tarlamis.
Congratulations to CEO Corina Dutlow, the current team, and all of the volunteers and committee members, past and present, who have helped build AFCS over the past 35 years.
A terrific milestone and well worth celebrating.
But for too many women and children, days like this can look very different. Victoria Police is preparing for around a 20 per cent increase in family violence incidents today.
Family violence is never acceptable. There is no excuse for it. Not alcohol. Not gambling losses. Not frustration about the footy. Nothing.
Grand Final day brings together a lot of things that can place extra pressure on households, including alcohol consumption and gambling. We also know just how heavily gambling has become embedded in football, in no small part because of the revenue it generates for the AFL and the wider game. Iâve long argued itâs time they cut the cord on the AFLâs gambling addiction.
But none of those things excuse violence.
The responsibility sits with the person who chooses to use violence.
We should be able to celebrate the Grand Final, enjoy the football and everything that comes with it, while also being prepared to call out behaviour that has no place in our homes or our community.
Look out for the people around you today. If something doesnât seem right, donât ignore it.
If you or someone you know needs help, 1800RESPECT is available on 1800 737 732.
If someone is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000).
Under Victoriaâs road rules, if a parking sign says it applies on particular days of the week, those restrictions generally do not apply on a declared public holiday.
So, for example, if a sign says:
2P Monday to Friday, 8amâ6pm, the 2-hour restriction does not apply today.
There are a couple of important exceptions:
⢠If the sign specifically says the restriction applies on public holidays, it still applies.
⢠If the sign doesnât list particular days at all, the restriction continues to apply, including on public holidays.
On Tuesday, I was invited to speak at CISO Canberra 2026, a national conference for cyber security leaders.
Before focusing full-time on my role as Mayor, I spent more than 25 years working in technology and cyber security.
The conference was a great opportunity to bring those two parts of my working life together and speak about what cyber security and public leadership have in common: protecting people, maintaining essential services and preserving community trust.
A very different audience from my usual Council meetings, but an important conversation.
In 1968, a Melbourne University report warned that Melbourneâs proposed underground City Loop would be a âserious mistakeâ. It questioned the patronage forecasts, criticised the planning, argued that cheaper alternatives should be pursued and said the money would be better spent improving the existing suburban rail and tram network.
Sound familiar?
More than 50 years later, many of the same arguments are being made against the Suburban Rail Loop: that the forecasts are uncertain, the cost is too high, other transport projects should come first and existing networks should be improved instead.
But the City Loop is a useful piece of history.
Major infrastructure is built for the Melbourne of decades ahead, not just the Melbourne we know today. And arguments about whether a transformative transport project is really needed are certainly nothing new.
Sometimes it takes a few decades before we can properly judge whether the vision was right. We are fortunate that previous generations had the foresight to build Melbourneâs suburban train lines in the 1880s, long before they could have imagined the city we have today. đđď¸
Council listened, carried out a Local Area Traffic Management Study, consulted with the community and installed low-profile road humps to slow vehicles down.
The results are pretty striking.
Before the road humps were installed, almost half of vehicles were travelling above the 50 km/h speed limit.
In our latest 2026 traffic survey, that has fallen to around 1%.
We also recently carried out a manual speed survey during the afternoon school peak. The 85th percentile speed, meaning 85% of vehicles were travelling at or below this speed, was just 33 km/h over the road hump and 39 km/h between the nearby humps.
Traffic volumes have also reduced.
Road humps wonât please everyone, but the data shows they are doing exactly what they were installed to do: slowing vehicles down and improving safety on local roads.
Residents had raised speeding and safety as concerns for years. The latest results show that the measures put in place are making a real difference. đâ
On Friday night I had the pleasure of officially opening smART 2026, the 8th Annual Small Works Art Exhibition at The Track Gallery in Mount Waverley.
smART has been running annually since 2019 and provides artists with an opportunity to exhibit small-format works across a wide range of styles and mediums. It is a fantastic showcase of local creativity and gives artists of different experience levels the chance to share their work with the community.
There was so much great work on display that I ended up buying two pieces myself!
The exhibition is free and continues at The Track Gallery, 47 Miller Crescent, Mount Waverley, until Sunday 27 September.
If you have some time over the coming week, I highly recommend dropping in, having a look and supporting some of the talented artists exhibiting their work. đ¨đźď¸
Thanks to everyone who stopped by for a chat about Councilâs budget, local issues, and anything else on your mind.
If you missed us this morning, you can still have your say. Send your feedback directly to me, or submit it through Councilâs website (link in bio).
Every bit of feedback helps inform the budget process and the priorities Council considers for the year ahead.
Iâll be at Bunnings Notting Hill tomorrow from 9am to 11am as part of Councilâs budget consultation.
Come down, say hello and tell me what matters to you, where you think Council should be spending its money, or ask me about anything happening in Monash.
đ Bunnings Notting Hill
đ 9amâ11am Sunday Sept 20
No appointment needed. Just come over for a chat.
No kids sport.
Brunch.
@temperancesociety
đłâď¸đđ§đ
More than 60 years at one local sporting club. Thatâs an extraordinary contribution to our community.
Steve Laffan has done just about everything at Oakleigh Districts Football Netball Cricket Club, from playing to serving as president, secretary and recruiting manager. This year, that service was recognised with an OAM.
But for Steve, the greatest reward has been the friendships, connection and sense of belonging that come with being involved.
People like Steve are the heart of our local clubs. His story is a great reminder that whether you play, volunteer or cheer from the sidelines, thereâs a place for you. đđ
Congratulations, Steve, and thank you for everything youâve given to the mighty Oaks. đ
I joined Mary Gearin on ABC Radio Melbourne Mornings yesterday for Meet the Mayor.
It was a good chance to talk through some of the issues affecting Monash residents, as well as some of the bigger planning and growth challenges facing our community.
There were also some great questions from listeners along the way.
Thanks to Mary and the ABC team for the conversation and to all those who rang in. Have a listen below.
Congratulations to Saina Mirpuri from @huntingtower School, the 2026 scholarship recipient, and to all five finalists.
For 40 years, this program has backed talented young people with strong academic ability, leadership potential and a commitment to their community.
A wonderful legacy, and a terrific investment in the next generation.
Loved watching April in The Little Mermaid last night. Thereâs something special about seeing your child on stage, and I couldnât be prouder of her.
Congratulations to all the Year 5/6 students on a brilliant show. You should be so proud of what youâve achieved together.
A big thank you to everyone who helped bring the production to life and gave our kids this chance to shine. đđ
Our counters record an average of more than 100 uses a day. And itâs great to see children among those using it to get to school safely.
At 8:40am today: three people on bikes in one photo. One parked car in the other. Yet itâs the bike path that keeps getting questioned.
To make room for the cycling path, we removed parking spaces. Meanwhile, the multideck car park has heaps of empty spots. Surely we can make room for children to ride safely when thereâs still so much parking available?
Of course, a photo doesnât tell us how busy either is across the day. Thatâs exactly the point. An empty car park doesnât mean it should never have been built, and a quiet moment on a bike path doesnât make it a waste of money.
Itâs about giving people options. When people feel safe enough to choose a bike instead of a car, that means fewer cars on the road, helping ease congestion for those who need to drive.
With our population set to double, we need to make walking, cycling and public transport practical options for more people. We canât simply double the size of all our roads.
Safer trips for children, more choice for families and less traffic for drivers. Thatâs a win-win.
The Waverley Woodworkers are one of my absolute favourite community groups in Monash.
More than 100 men and women belong to the group, but what makes them so special isnât simply what they make. It is what they give back.
Throughout the year, members make and donate toys to playgroups, kindergartens, schools and womenâs refuges. They also make toys for children with special needs.
It was wonderful to join members for afternoon tea at their Artisan Hub in Central Reserve this week and recognise the contribution they make. Council is fortunate to have such a strong partnership with this terrific group.
Community groups are the beating heart of life in Monash, and the Waverley Woodworkers are a wonderful example of why. đŞľđ
When you call Council, you should be able to speak to a person, not work your way through endless âpress 1, press 2, press 3â options.
At Monash, you get a real person answering your call within 50 seconds almost 90% of the time.
Our 2025/26 results show:
âď¸ 89.57% of calls answered within 50 seconds
â
74.33% of queries resolved at the first point of contact
đ Just 1.23% of callers abandoned their call
Good customer service means answering quickly, listening and helping residents get their query sorted. These are terrific results from our customer service team.
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